McLaren must bounce back 'immediately' - Prost

Time is running out for McLaren to bounce back from its 2012 slump, according to former team-champion Alain Prost.

Despite looking a title favourite early this year, Jenson Button dropped badly off the pace and even former championship leader Lewis Hamilton bemoaned the MP4-27's flagging development after a bad British GP.

"If they don't come back immediately, from Hockenheim, the next race, I think it's going to be difficult," Frenchman Prost, 57, told the Ria Novosti news agency.

He said Red Bull and Ferrari are now the obvious favourites in 2012.

"It looks like they (McLaren) do not understand what is happening with the new tyres, which is not good news," added Prost.

Another former multiple title winner, Niki Lauda, told the Daily Mirror that the slump is not Button and Hamilton's fault.

"They are both world champions and better than they were made to look at Silverstone," said the Austrian legend, who won his third title with McLaren in 1984.

He hailed Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the current championship leader, as the "toughest" and "cleverest" driver in the field.

That will make it hard for the McLaren drivers, said Lauda.

"It's not the points difference that I'm talking about - it's not over for them, but even if they score big Alonso won't be far behind, so to reduce the gap is going to difficult," he added.

But where the Spaniard has an advantage is in keeping his emotions in check, he added.

"When they (emotions) come after the race, that's ok," he told the German broadcaster Sky. "Emotions in the cockpit, however, are dangerous, because then you make mistakes.

"I have to say that, of the two, Alonso is probably the cooler," said Surer.

(GMM)

Success 'not automatic' after F1 breakthrough - Rosberg

Nico Rosberg has taken no pleasure in proving Niki Lauda wrong.

After the German broke through this year for his first career victory in China, and Mercedes' first since the Brawn takeover, triple world champion Lauda assured Rosberg that his life would now be easier.

"Niki Lauda told me that the next victory is easy after the first one, but unfortunately that's not right," Rosberg, 27, said ahead of his home race at Hockenheim this weekend.

"It's not just automatic," he insisted.

Indeed, since winning from pole in Shanghai, Rosberg has qualified on the front row and finished on the podium only once apiece in the six subsequent races.

"Our performance has been up and down recently, ranging from podiums to lower points finishes," admitted team boss Ross Brawn.

"We need to work hard to improve our level of consistency and ability to challenge at the front of the field."

Indeed, the W03 struggled last time out at Silverstone: Rosberg failing to make the top ten in qualifying and teammate Michael Schumacher sliding from the second row of the grid to just seventh at the finish.

"Hockenheim has long straights and short corners, which will be good for the silver arrow," he added.

(GMM)

Moscow enjoys F1 spotlight on spare weekend

'Moscow' was the word on F1 fanatics' lips at the weekend.

On the last days off before the arduous Hockenheim-Hungary double header, Russia was the centre of the sport's attention.

Although the coastal resort city Sochi will host the first Russian GP in 2014, modern F1 cars and current drivers including Lewis Hamilton demonstrated their wares on a temporary street circuit around the Kremlin.

"I think Moscow has an opportunity, I hope, in the future to put on a street race," Briton Hamilton is quoted by Ria Novosti news agency.

Also in action for the Moscow City Racing event were Charles Pic (Marussia) and Ferrari tester Giancarlo Fisichella.

Moscow City Hall spokesman Vladimir Chernikov admitted he hopes it was a prelude to something more.

"Moscow really is ready to hold a Formula One stage," he said.

Meanwhile, at Moscow's new F1 test-standard circuit Moscow Raceway, four time world champion Alain Prost said a street race in the Russian capital "could be possible".

"I know that Bernie (Ecclestone) and some constructors would love it," he said.

At Moscow Raceway, Red Bull's F1 car was demonstrated as the track made its race debut for a round of the Formula Renault 3.5 series.

No 'time pressure' for 2013 driver decision - Sauber

Peter Sauber has revealed he does not feel rushed to commit to a driving duo for 2013.

With top five teams Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Lotus all now expected to keep their current line-ups beyond this season, the impressive midfielder Sauber could in theory boast one of the paddock's hottest vacancies.

Sergio Perez and his sponsor Telmex look likely to keep their Ferrari ambitions in check for at least another season, but there is real pressure on Kamui Kobayashi, who has failed to match up at the wheel of the sister C31 so far.

The Japanese's latest faux pas was at Silverstone, when he bowled over his pit crew.

Blick newspaper reports that one of the mechanics will skip Hockenheim in order to have surgery on his injured thumb.

According to Bild newspaper, chief mechanic Urs Kuratle backed Kobayashi: "He's a really great guy. It just happens - it was a mistake."

However, behind the scenes, it is rumoured that Sauber team management have been less than impressed with not only Kobayashi but also Perez at times in 2012.

Writing in Blick, Swiss correspondent Roger Benoit said the pair are "both hoping for a new contract, because they are not on the wish lists of other teams.

"And many drivers would run barefoot to Hinwil to drive the C31."

Regarding the 2013 lineup, Peter Sauber is quoted as saying: "We are not under time pressure."

Chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn added: "We have failed to score points this season several times and for a variety of reasons.

"In hindsight it doesn't help to pine for those points, as now we have to move forward. Plus we've got two strong drivers.

"Sergio has been on the podium twice this year, and Kamui has been able to shine with a fourth in qualifying and a fifth in a race.

"Both have a fastest race lap to their names," she continued.

"We have everything it takes to wind up the first half of the season in a positive way."

(GMM)

FIA clarifies defensive driving rules

F1 drivers may use the entire width of the circuit to defend position during a Grand Prix.

FIA race director Charlie Whiting made the clarification in a note to teams, the French news agency AFP has reported.

The ruling follows several controversial incidents in 2012, including Nico Rosberg's defensive moves against Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in Bahrain.

Whiting says moves like that, where the "full width" of the track is used, are acceptable so long as a "significant portion" of the chasing car is not alongside.

"For the avoidance of doubt," he wrote, "if any part of the front wing of the car attempting to pass is alongside the rear wheel of the car in front this will be deemed to be a significant portion."

(GMM)

Rene Arnoux tips first F1 wins for Grosjean

Former Grand Prix winner Rene Arnoux has tipped his French countryman Romain Grosjean to win up to two races in 2012.

The Swiss-born Grosjean struggled in his abortive 2009 debut but has shone so far this season after returning to the sport with Lotus' new management.

"Grosjean has matured, he has a nice car, and he has done some great races," Arnoux, who won races in the 80s with Renault and Ferrari, is quoted by RMC.

"I hope it continues to go well and he wins one or two grands prix this year," he added.

But a win might be difficult for 26-year-old Grosjean this weekend at Hockenheim.

The Frenchman said in Lotus' official pre-race statement that he is hoping for "pole position, a win and the fastest lap! The perfect weekend!"

Pole, however, will be impossible for Grosjean in Germany.

It has emerged that Grosjean's black and gold E20 developed a gearbox problem on the very last lap at Silverstone.

"Unfortunately for Romain it means he'll take a five place grid penalty at Hockenheim," technical director James Allison confirmed.

"But he certainly showed at Silverstone that dropping down the order won't stop him challenging at the sharp end."

Grosjean has given himself a 7.5 out of 10 for his 2012 return to F1 so far.

"I'm a perfectionist in that I always want better, so I'm not 100 per cent happy because not 100 percent has been right," he said.

(GMM)

Senna accepts trophy amid F1 exit rumours

Standing out in F1 has rarely been more difficult than now, Bruno Senna has insisted.

The past winners of the prestigious Trofeo Lorenzo Bandini are a roll-call of long and successful GP careers.

Dating back to the mid-90s, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton have been among the famous winners.

Some eyebrows raised, therefore, when Senna was announced as the 2012 winner.

As is tradition, the Brazilian received his trophy at the weekend in Bandini's hometown Brisighella, amid speculation the 28-year-old could race out of F1 at the end of the season.

Livio Oricchio, the Brazilian correspondent for Jornal da Tarde who was on the scene for the trophy presentation, admitted that Ayrton Senna's nephew has achieved "not much" in 2012 despite enjoying a "good car" supplied by Williams.

"Getting big results today is the challenge for everyone in Formula One," Senna is quoted as saying.

"It has never been so competitive. Rarely (in F1) has the level of the drivers been so high.

"If you stand out in this formula one then it's a fact that you are a winner," he added.

(GMM)

Williams denies Hill to be team boss

Williams co-owner Toto Wolff has slammed rumours Damon Hill is being lined up to be the famous British team's new boss.

Chairman Adam Parr shocked the F1 world earlier this year by suddenly leaving the Oxfordshire based squad.

Founder and boss Sir Frank Williams, despite no longer sitting on his own team's board, has revealed he has assumed some of Parr's former duties.

And the next step in the saga was recent rumours that Hill, Williams' world champion of 1996, could now move into a management role.

Since stepping down as president of the Silverstone-owning British Racing Drivers' Club, the 51-year-old returned almost full-time to the paddock in 2012 as a television pundit for the broadcaster Sky.